Identification and localization of a base station of an autonomous mobile robot

1. A system including an autonomous mobile robot and a base station for the autonomous mobile robot,

wherein the autonomous mobile robot comprises a navigation module with a navigation sensor for detecting geometric features of objects in an environment of the autonomous mobile robot,

wherein the base station comprises a geometric feature that is detectable for the autonomous mobile robot using the navigation sensor,

wherein the robot comprises a autonomous mobile robot controller, coupled with the navigation module and configured to identify and/or localize the base station, based on the geometric feature of the base station, and to determine a docking position of the autonomous mobile robot;

wherein the base station has a housing wall, the housing wall has at least one opening, and the at least one opening defines the geometric feature of the base station, and

wherein the at least one geometric feature is a width of the at least one opening.

2. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the navigation sensor is designed to contactlessly measure distances between the navigation sensor and the objects in the environment of the autonomous mobile robot, and

wherein the navigation module is configured to detect the geometric features of the objects in the environment of the autonomous mobile robot based on the measured distances.

3. The system of claim 2 , in which the navigation sensor carries out distance measurements in an essentially horizontal plane with a defined distance to the floor.

4. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the navigation module is configured to detect the geometric features of the objects and store the detected geometric features of the objects on an electronic map of the environment.

5. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the geometric feature of the base station is selected from the group consisting of a characteristic point on the housing of the base station, a characteristic line on the housing of a base station, a polygon defined by the housing of the base station, a surface defined by the housing of the base station, or a combination thereof.

6. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the navigation module is configured to detect at least one geometric feature of the base station and the autonomous mobile robot controller is configured, for the purpose of identifying and/or localizing the base station, to assign a measurement value to the at least one detected geometric feature and to compare it with a corresponding reference value.

7. The system of claim 6 ,

wherein the measurement value is selected from the group consisting of a length, a distance, an angle, a ratio of two lengths, a ratio of two distances, a ratio of two angles, or a combination thereof.

8. The system of claim 6 ,

wherein the measurement value is selected from the group consisting of a distance between two points, a length of a line, a distance of a point from a line, a distance of a point from a surface, an angle defined by three points, an angle defined by two lines, a ratio of lengths of two lines, or a combination thereof.

9. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the opening is covered by a cover that is made of a material that is transparent for the navigation sensor.

10. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the navigation sensor is an optical sensor that emits light in a certain spectrum, and

wherein the cover has an antireflective coating that is adapted to the spectrum of the light emitted by the optical sensor.

11. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the base station has numerous geometric features;

wherein the navigation module is configured to detect at least one of the numerous geometric features of the base station; and

wherein the opening is arranged asymmetrically in the base station such that the detected geometric features are asymmetrical in relation to a vertical symmetry plane.

12. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the opening is alterable in its size or form by attaching or sliding a screen or by breaking out a part of the housing wall along a predefined break line.

13. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the base station has numerous geometric features, and

wherein the base station has a geometry entailing that the numerous geometric features of the base station are asymmetrical in relation to a vertical symmetry plane.

14. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the geometric feature of the base station is alterable by adding an attachment part to a housing of the base station or by removing an attachment part from the housing of the base station or by sliding or tilting an attachment part on the housing of the base station.

15. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein the geometric feature of the base station is different when it is detected by the navigation module in horizontal planes that are at different distances to the floor.

16. The system of claim 1 , in which the navigation module has a memory for numerous electronic maps, wherein each of the numerous maps is assigned to a certain base station and represents an area of autonomous mobile robot operation in which the certain base station is located.

17. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a further base station, wherein the base station is located in a first area of autonomous mobile robot operation and the further base station is located in a second area of autonomous mobile robot operation,

wherein the navigation module has a memory for numerous electronic maps that is assigned to the base stations and the further base stations, and

wherein the navigation module, after identifying the base station, loads at least one of the numerous maps assigned to the base station.

18. A base station for an autonomous mobile robot comprising the following:

a housing with an opening arranged therein, the opening defining, by its geometry, a geometric feature that is detectable by the sensor system of the autonomous mobile robot, wherein the at least one geometric feature is a width of the opening.

19. The base station of claim 18 , further comprising:

wherein the opening is covered by a cover including of a material that is transparent for the sensor system of the autonomous mobile robot.

20. A method for an autonomous mobile robot comprising the following: detecting geometric features of objects in an environment of the autonomous mobile robot using a navigation module of the autonomous mobile robot that has a navigation sensor, wherein at least one of the detected geometric features of the objects is a geometric feature of the base station;

identifying and/or localizing the base station based on the at least one geometric feature of the base station;

wherein the base station has at least one opening in its housing wall and the at least one opening defines a geometric feature of the base station, and

wherein the at least one geometric feature is a width of at least one opening.

21. The method of claim 20 , in which the identifying and/or localizing of the base station includes the following:

assigning a measurement value to the detected geometric feature,

comparing the measurement value with a corresponding reference value.